Barbara Flynn Currie

Metra officials on Wednesday defended the agency's plans to introduce a smartphone app that will allow customers to buy and display tickets on their phones using a Ventra account or a credit or debit card. The mobile ticketing app, which Metra hopes to roll out this fall, is the commuter rail agency's long-awaited move toward minimizing paper tickets and passes. The app also will enable customers to use their Apple or Android phones or mobile devices to pay for rides on all three Chicago-area transit systems, check account balances, and receive real-time travel and service information. The app is "cutting edge," Metra Executive Director Don Orseno said. "This...

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